_The same subject, concluded._
1. One day I went to take a walk, with a friend of mine, in the country;
and Don, the dog I mentioned in the last lesson, followed us.
2. We walked to a little grove about a mile from my house, to see the
grave of a beautiful little child, that was buried on the summit of a
little hill, covered with pines, spruce and other evergreens.
3. While we were admiring the beauty of the spot, Don was running about
the grove; and I completely lost sight of him, and supposed that he had
returned home.
4. But presently I saw him at a distance, barking up a tree at a
squirrel that had escaped from him.
5. As I turned to go home, I said to my friend, You see Don is away, and
does not see me. I am going to drop my handkerchief here, and send him
after it.
6. We had got half way home, when presently Don came bounding along, and
very shortly came up to us.
7. As soon as he came up to me, I stopped, and feeling in my
coat-pocket, said to him,--Don, I have lost my pocket-handkerchief,--go
find it.
8. I had scarcely uttered the words before he was off. He was gone only
two or three minutes, and then, returning with my handkerchief in his
mouth, he dropped it at my feet.
9. Guido, the other dog, was very fond of going into the water himself;
but he never would allow any one else to go in.
10. The reason was this. My little son George was one day looking over
into the water, to watch the eels that were gliding through the water
below, and losing his balance, he fell into the water.
11. No one was near except Guido, and he immediately jumped in after
George, and, with great labor, brought him on shore, and saved him from
drowning.
12. Ever since that time, Guido has been very unwilling to let any one
go near the water. It seemed as if he had reasoned about it, and said to
himself, It is hard work to drag a boy out of the water, but it is much
easier to keep him from going in.
13. Guido was not a very large dog. He was of the breed, or kind, named
Spaniel; so called because that kind of dog originally came from
Hispaniola. He had long ears, curling hair, a long bushy tail, and
webbed feet, like all dogs that are fond of the water.
14. Webbed feet are those in which the toes are not separated, but seem
to be joined together by a thin substance, like thick skin, which
enables them to swim more easily.
15. Don was a very large dog, of the Newfoundland species, a kind which
is remarkable for its beauty and intelligence.